Separable and recyclabe footwear

ABSTRACT

A separable footwear article may comprise an outsole oriented at the bottom of the footwear and configured for ground contact, the outsole comprising a first material; an upper portion releasably coupled to the outsole with thread using chain stitching, the upper portion comprising a second material different from the first material; and an insole removeably disposed adjacent the upper portion and the outsole, the insole comprising a third material different from the first material and the second material; wherein the outsole, the upper portion, and insole are capable of being separated by releasing the thread and hand pulling the thread from the footwear article.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of United States (US) NonprovisionalApplication Ser. No. 16/931,848 filed Jul. 17, 2020, which is anonprovisional of and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/948,508 filed Dec. 16, 2019, each of which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of footwear, andmore particularly to articles and methods relating to separablefootwear.

BACKGROUND

Conventional articles of athletic footwear generally include at leasttwo components, namely, an upper and a sole structure. The upper isoften secured to the sole structure and forms a void on the interior ofthe footwear for securely and comfortably receiving a foot.

The upper and sole structure of most conventional articles of footwearare permanently secured together through adhesive bonding or stitching,for example.

Accordingly, wear or damage occurring to either the upper or solestructure may require that the entire article of footwear be discarded.In addition, sole structures are generally configured for use duringspecific activities, particularly with athletic footwear. For example, asole structure may incorporate pronation control elements that arebeneficial for running, stability elements for court-style activities,or relatively soft cushioning for walking. A sole structure that isconfigured for one athletic activity, such as long-distance running, maynot be suitable for use during another athletic activity, such astennis. Each different type of sole structure, therefore, may require adistinct upper in footwear where the upper and sole structure arepermanently secured together.

In contrast with the conventional article of footwear that includes apermanently secured upper and sole structure, footwear configurationsembodying an upper and detachable sole structure have been proposed. Asan example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,857 to Vizy et al. discloses footwearwith a permanently attached upper and outsole that includes a separatemidsole and heel counter structure, which is removable from the upper.As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,385 to Halford and U.S. Pat. No.4,974,344 to Ching both disclose an outsole structure that is detachablefrom the remainder of the footwear. As a further example, U.S. Pat. Nos.6,023,859 and 5,799,417 to Burke et al. disclose an article of footwearwith removable and exchangeable inserts that are positioned between theupper and a lower portion of the sole structure. The inserts protrudethrough the lower portion of the sole structure to provide aground-contacting surface.

However, improvements are needed.

SUMMARY

A separable footwear article may comprise an outsole oriented at thebottom of the footwear and configured for ground contact, the outsolecomprising a first material; an upper portion releasably coupled to theoutsole with thread using chain stitching, the upper portion comprisinga second material different from the first material; and an insoleremoveably disposed adjacent the upper portion and the outsole, theinsole comprising a third material different from the first material andthe second material; wherein the outsole, the upper portion, and insoleare capable of being separated by releasing the thread and hand pullingthe thread from the footwear article.

A separable footwear article may comprise: an outsole oriented at thebottom of the footwear and configured for ground contact, the outsolecomprising a first material; an upper portion releasably coupled to theoutsole with thread using chain stitching, the upper portion comprisinga second material different from the first material; and an insoleremoveably disposed adjacent the upper portion and the outsole, theinsole comprising a third material different from the first material andthe second material; wherein the outsole, the upper portion, and insoleare configured to be separated by releasing the thread and pulling thethread from the footwear article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings show generally, by way of example, but not by wayof limitation, various examples discussed in the present disclosure. Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a separable and recyclable footwear inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate the plurality of components of the separable andrecyclable footwear of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the plurality of segments of the upperportion of the separable and recyclable footwear of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 illustrates an example insole in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate a method of disassembling the separable andrecyclable footwear of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate example unitary patterns for a footwear upper.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate an example welt in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example method in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate an example method in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example method in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example method in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to a separable footwear that may comprisea plurality of components coupled to one another, for example, usingchain-stitching methods. The footwear may be disassembled with ease byundoing the chain-stitching coupling/holding the components together.One or more of the components of the footwear may comprise a recyclablematerial. Footwear may comprise a plurality of components made from thesame recyclable material or from different recyclable materials that arecoupled to one another with thread using chain-stitching methods. Thefootwear may be disassembled into its component parts. Disassembledcomponents made from like materials may be sorted together and forwardedto a recycling plant or recycling center. Additionally or alternatively,disassembled components may be replaced with different components in amodular manner.

As an example, the components of the footwear may comprise laces, anupper portion, an insole, a midsole and an outsole. The upper portionmay be oriented at the top of the assembled footwear and the outsole maybe oriented at the bottom of the assembled footwear, and configured forground contact. The insole may be located in-between the upper portionand the outsole and the midsole may be located in-between the insole andthe outsole. The footwear may be assembled with additional components orwithout all of the listed components present. The components of thefootwear may be made from the same material or from different materials.The components of the footwear may be made from the same recyclablematerial or from different recyclable materials. The components of thefootwear may be coupled to one another with thread using chain-stitchingor other sewing methods that can easily be disassembled.

Coupled components of the footwear may be disassembled by pulling out aloop of the chain-stitching that couples the components together,disengaging the thread from the footwear and applying force by tuggingsharply on the thread until the coupled components are separated fromone another. The method may be repeated to separate other componentsfrom one another. As an example, the outsole may be separated from theinsole first and then the insole may be separated from the upperportion. The separated components may be sorted for recycling.

The components of the footwear may further comprise a plurality ofsegments. The segments may be coupled to one another with thread usingchain-stitching or other sewing methods that can easily be disassembled.The segments of the components which are coupled together with threadusing chain-stitching may further be disassembled into their individualparts. As an example, the upper portion of the footwear may compriserecyclable leather segments coupled together with thread usingchain-stitching which may be disassembled into their individual leathersegments and sorted for recycling.

FIG. 1 shows an example separable and recyclable footwear 100 inaccordance with the present disclosure. The components may be made fromthe same recyclable material or different recyclable materials. Thecomponents of the footwear 100 may be coupled together with thread usingchain-stitching 102 to form at least a portion of the footwear 100.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2 , the footwear 100 may comprise a plurality ofseparable components. The components of the footwear may be made fromthe same material or from different materials. The components may bemade from the same type of recyclable material or different recyclablematerials. The footwear 100 may comprise laces 104, an upper portion110, an insole 120, and an outsole 130. The upper portion 110, insole120 and the outsole 130 may be coupled together using chain-stitchingmethods to form footwear 100.

The upper portion 110 may be chain-stitched to the insole 120 and theinsole may be chain-stitched to the outsole 130. The upper portion 110may be oriented at the top of the footwear 100, the outsole 130 may beoriented at the bottom of the footwear 100, and the insole 120 may belocated in-between the upper portion 110 and the outsole 130.

The laces 104 may be made from plastic such as recycled or recyclablepolymers. The laces 104 may comprise or may be formed from cotton suchas organic cotton or regenerative cotton. Other materials may be used.The upper portion 110 may be made from leather such as regenerative,recycled, or recyclable leather. The upper portion 110 may comprise ormay be formed from polymer (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate PET) orcotton. Other materials may be used. The insole 120 may be made fromwool such as biodegradable wool or merino wool. As an example, theinsole 120 may have a foam base coupled to a wool heel. Other materialsmay be used. The outsole 130 may be made from recycled rubber orrecycled plastic. The outsole 130 may comprise a foam portion coupled(e.g., stitched) to a rubber base. Other materials may be used.

The footwear 100 may further comprise other components. As an example,the footwear 100 may include a midsole between the insole 120 and theoutsole 130. The midsole may be made from recyclable foam or otherrecyclable material(s).

The separable components of the footwear 100 may further comprise aplurality of segments made from the same material or differentmaterials. As an example, the upper portion 110 may comprise a pluralityof separable segments (e.g., patterns) made from the same type ofrecyclable material or different types of recyclable materials (e.g.leather, PET, PET canvas). The upper portion 110 may comprise aplurality of segments made from the same type of recyclable leather ordifferent types of recyclable leather. The plurality of separablesegments of the upper portion 110 may be coupled together usingchain-stitching methods. FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the pluralityof segments 300 of the upper portion 110 of the footwear 100. Thesegments 300 may be coupled together using chain-stitching methods orother methods. Alternatively, the upper portion 110 may be formed from aunitary piece (e.g., pattern) formed from the same material (e.g.,recyclable materials described herein), such as illustrated in FIGS.6A-6D. Such a unitary piece may undergo various flat operations prior tobe formed (e.g., lasted) into a shape for coupling to an outsole (e.g.,outsole 130).

The insole 120 may further comprise a plurality of segments made fromthe same type of recyclable material or different types of recyclablematerials. As an example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the insole 120 maycomprise a heel portion 400 and a base 406. The base 406 may furthercomprise an inner cushion 404 and an outer support 402. As an example,the heel 400 may be made from recyclable wool, the inner cushion 404 maybe made from recyclable wool and the outer support 402 may be made fromfoam. The inner cushion 404 may have ridges and the outer support 402may have grooves corresponding to the ridges of the inner cushion 404 inorder to support the wearer's foot. As a further example, the base 406may comprise a cover layer (not shown) that may be coupled to the upper,such as via stitching (e.g., chain stitching). The cover layer may beformed from various materials such as wool, for example.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate a method of disassembling the footwear 100 inaccordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 5A shows a loop of thechain-stitching that couples the outsole 130 to the upper portion 110 ofthe footwear. To disassemble the footwear 100, the loop of thechain-stitch 500 is pulled out/released, disengaging the thread 502 fromthe footwear 100 as shown in FIG. 5B. As used herein, releasing a threadmay comprise loosening, cutting, or otherwise separating the thread froma stitched surface. Thereafter, force is applied to draw the thread 502away from the footwear, separating the footwear 100 into its differentcomponents. In FIG. 5C, force is applied to draw out the thread 502 thatcouples the upper portion 110 to the outsole 130 of the footwear 100.Another loop of the chain-stitch thread 502 may be selected and theprocess repeated until the footwear is disassembled into its componentparts. Like recyclable materials may be sorted together and sent to arecycling plant or center. The segments of the components may be furtherdisassembled using the same method or similar methods.

Various chain-stitching machines may be used. As an example, a singlethread chain-stitch seated type shoe border sewing machine (e.g.,manufactured by Semlima) may be used.

Various stitch patterns may be used. As an example, 4-5 stitches may beused per inch. As an illustrative example, overlapping stitches (e.g.,6, 5, 3, etc.) may be used on at least the stitching start and endingarea. Such overlapping stitching may improve the coupling strength onthe subject area. Alternatively or additionally, after the stitching ofthe upper to the outsole is complete, an end of the stitching thread maybe cut. The end (cut or uncut) may be inserted into a stitch hole (e.g.,an adjacent stitch hole). An adhesive, such as glue may be disposed(e.g., injected) at the stitch hole to fix the end of the thread inplace. Alternatively or additionally, an end of the thread may extendtoward in inside of area of the footwear, where an insole may bedisposed. As such, the end of the thread on the inside may be sealed inposition, for example, using a hot melt and a stamp over the thread tosecure the thread to the inside of the footwear.

Various threads for stitching may be used. As an example, 1.0 mmpolyester braid may be used.

Various components such as the upper and the sole may be temporarilycoupled to hold a position for stitching. As an example, a temporarycement (e.g., yellow glue code 766N by Nanpao) may be used totemporarily couple components.

Additionally or alternatively, articles and/or methods in accordancewith the present disclosure may comprise a welt 700, for example, asillustrated in FIGS. 7A-7C. The welt 700 may be formed from variousmaterials including leather, recyclable leather, and/or other recyclablematerials. As shown, the welt 700 may be split from a center or near acenter to define a generally Y-shaped cross section. As such, one branch702 may be coupled (e.g., chain stitched) to an upper and the otherbranch 704 may be coupled (e.g., chain stitched) to an outsole. Asshown, at least one of the branches 702, 704 may comprise notches 706 orindentations to provide freedom of movement.

A method in accordance with the present disclosure may comprise a methodof making footwear that is configured to disassembly, for example, to berecycled into component parts. The method may comprise applying atemporary adhesive to at least a portion of the welt 700 and couplingthe welt 700 to an outsole 800, as shown in FIG. 8 . The method maycomprise applying a temporary adhesive to at least a portion of the welt700 and coupling the welt 700 to an upper 900, as shown in FIG. 9 . Asillustrated in FIG. 9 , the welt 700 may be coupled to the outsole 800and while coupled to the outsole 800, may be coupled to the upper 900.Other process steps and ordering of steps may be used.

FIG. 10 illustrates chain stitching of the welt 700 and the outsole 800.The welt 700 and the outsole 800 may first be temporarily coupled usingan adhesive to hold a position for stitching. However, other steps orprocess including not using temporary adhesive may be used. As shown,the stitching may be through a bottom surface 802 of the outsole 800 andmay be disposed adjacent a peripheral edge 804 of the outsole 800.

FIGS. 11A-11B illustrate chain stitching of the welt 700 and the upper900. The welt 700 and the upper 800 may first be temporarily coupledusing an adhesive to hold a position for stitching. However, other stepsor process including not using temporary adhesive may be used. As shown,the stitching may be disposed adjacent a peripheral edge 904 of theupper 900.

Ends of the thread used for chain stitching may be disposed on anoutside of the upper 900 when the stitching is initially complete. Asshown in FIG. 12 , thread 1000 (e.g., thread ends, thread ends pulledfrom the outside of the upper 900) may be disposed in an interior of thefootwear 1100. The threads 1000 may be secured to an interior surface1102 of the footwear such as an upper side of the outsole 800. Othersurfaces may be used. As shown, the threads 1000 may be secured using awax or other hot melt material. Such a wax may be stamped to furthersecure the threads and/or to provide ornamental marking. Wax or othermaterials may be used to seal any stitching hole and/or thread ends1002, as shown in FIG. 13 .

For disassembly of the footwear 1100, the thread ends 1002 may beremoved from the seal (e.g., wax) and pulled outside of the footwear1100. The stitching may be removed from the upper 900 and welt 700 torelease the upper 900, for example, by simply pulling the thread 1000 torelease the chain stitches. The stitching may be removed from theoutsole 800 and welt 700 to release the outsole 800, for example, bysimply pulling the thread 1000 to release the chain stitches. The upper900, outsole 800, and welt 700 may be pulled apart for recycling. It isunderstood that some adhesion of the components may be evident based onthe temporary adhesive. However, the nature of the temporary adhesiveallows for pulling apart of the components by hand.

The present disclosure comprises at least the following aspects:

Aspect 1: A separable footwear article comprising: an outsole orientedat a bottom of the footwear and configured for ground contact, theoutsole comprising a first material; an upper portion releasably coupledto the outsole with thread using chain stitching, the upper portioncomprising a second material different from the first material; and aninsole removeably disposed adjacent the upper portion and the outsole,the insole comprising a third material different from the first materialand the second material; wherein the outsole, the upper portion, andinsole are capable of being separated by releasing the thread and handpulling the thread from the footwear article.

Aspect 2: The separable footwear article of aspect 1, wherein the firstmaterial comprises recyclable rubber.

Aspect 3: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 1-2, whereinthe first material comprises recyclable polymer.

Aspect 4: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 1-3, whereinthe second material comprises leather.

Aspect 5: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 1-4, whereinthe third material comprises wool.

Aspect 6: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 1-5, whereinthe insole comprises a heel portion and a base portion.

Aspect 7: The separable footwear article of aspect 6, wherein the baseportion comprises an inner cushion and an outer support.

Aspect 8: A method of making the separable footwear article of any ofaspects 1-7.

Aspect 9: A method of recycling the separable footwear article of any ofaspects 1-7, the method comprising: separating the insole from theoutsole and the upper portion; releasing the thread; and applying aforce to the thread to disengage the thread from the outsole and theupper, thereby separating the outsole from the upper.

Aspect 10: A separable footwear article comprising: an outsole orientedat a bottom of the footwear and configured for ground contact, theoutsole comprising a first material; an upper portion releasably coupledto the outsole with thread using chain stitching, the upper portioncomprising a second material different from the first material; and aninsole removeably disposed adjacent the upper portion and the outsole,the insole comprising a third material different from the first materialand the second material; wherein the outsole, the upper portion, andinsole are configured to be separated by releasing the thread andpulling the thread from the footwear article.

Aspect 11: The separable footwear article of aspect 10, wherein thefirst material comprises recyclable rubber.

Aspect 12: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 10-11,wherein the first material comprises recyclable polymer.

Aspect 13: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 10-12,wherein the second material comprises leather.

Aspect 14: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 10-13,wherein the third material comprises wool.

Aspect 15: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 10-14,wherein the insole comprises a heel portion and a base portion.

Aspect 16: The separable footwear article of aspect 15, wherein the baseportion comprises an inner cushion and an outer support.

Aspect 17: A method of making the separable footwear article of any ofaspects 10-16.

Aspect 18: A method of recycling the separable footwear article of anyof aspects 10-16, the method comprising: separating the insole from theoutsole and the upper portion; releasing the thread; and applying aforce to the thread to disengage the thread from the outsole and theupper, thereby separating the outsole from the upper.

Aspect 19: A separable footwear article comprising: an outsole orientedat a bottom of the footwear and configured for ground contact, theoutsole comprising a first material; and an upper portion releasablycoupled to the outsole via a coupling mechanism, the upper portioncomprising a second material different from the first material; whereinthe outsole and the upper portion are capable of being separated byreleasing the coupling mechanism.

Aspect 20: The separable footwear article of aspect 19, wherein thecoupling mechanism is capable of being released by hand.

Aspect 21: The separable footwear article of any one of aspects 19-20,wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a chain stitch or snaps.

Aspect 22: The separable footwear article of aspect 19, wherein thefirst material comprises recyclable rubber.

Aspect 23: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 19-22,wherein the first material comprises recyclable polymer.

Aspect 24: The separable footwear article of any of aspects 19-23,wherein the second material comprises leather.

Aspect 25: A method of making the separable footwear article of any ofaspects 19-24.

What is claimed:
 1. A separable footwear article comprising: an outsoleoriented to define a bottom of a footwear article and configured forground contact, the outsole comprising a first material; an upperportion releasably coupled to the outsole with thread using chainstitching, the upper portion comprising a second material different fromthe first material; a removable midsole releasably disposed between theoutsole and the upper portion, the removable midsole comprising a thirdmaterial; and an insole removeably disposed adjacent the upper portionand the outsole, the insole comprising a fourth material different fromthe first material and the second material, wherein the outsole, theremovable midsole, and the upper portion are configured to be separatedupon receipt of a pulling force upon the thread sufficient to remove thethread from the footwear article.
 2. The separable footwear article ofclaim 1, wherein the first material comprises recyclable rubber.
 3. Theseparable footwear article of claim 1, wherein the first materialcomprises recyclable polymer.
 4. The separable footwear article of claim1, wherein the second material comprises leather.
 5. The separablefootwear article of claim 1, wherein the third material comprisesrecyclable foam.
 6. The separable footwear article of claim 1, whereinthe fourth material comprises wool.
 7. The separable footwear article ofclaim 1, wherein the insole comprises a heel portion and a base portion.8. The separable footwear article of claim 7, wherein the base portioncomprises an inner cushion and an outer support.
 9. The separablefootwear article of claim 1, further comprising a welt disposed betweenthe outsole and the upper portion and releasably coupled to the outsoleand the upper portion.
 10. The separable footwear article of claim 9,wherein the welt is releasably coupled with thread using chainstitching.
 11. The separable footwear article of claim 9, wherein theoutsole. the welt, and the upper portion are coupled using a temporaryadhesive and chain stitching.
 12. The separable footwear article ofclaim 9, wherein the welt, the outsole, and the upper portion areconfigured to be separated upon receipt of a pulling force upon thethread sufficient to remove the thread from the footwear article.
 13. Amethod of making a separable footwear article comprising: providing anoutsole oriented to define a bottom of a footwear article and configuredfor ground contact, the outsole comprising a first material; providingan upper portion, the upper portion comprising a second materialdifferent from the first material; releasably coupling to the outsoleand the upper portion with thread using chain stitching; providing aremovable midsole releasably disposed between the outsole and the upperportion, the removable midsole comprising a third material differentfrom the first material and the second material; and temporarilycoupling to the outsole and the upper portion via a temporary adhesiveto hold a stitching position prior to coupling the outsole and the upperportion, wherein the outsole, the removable midsole, and the upperportion are configured to be separated upon receipt of a pulling forceupon the thread sufficient to remove the thread from the footweararticle.
 14. A separable footwear article comprising: an outsoleconfigured to be oriented at a bottom of a footwear and configured forground contact, the outsole comprising a first material; an upperportion releasably coupled to the outsole via a coupling mechanism, theupper portion comprising a second material different from the firstmaterial; a removable midsole releasably disposed between the outsoleand the upper portion, the removable midsole comprising a third materialdifferent from the first material and the second material; and a weltconfigured to releasably join the outsole and the upper portion, whereinthe welt is releasably coupled to the outsole, and wherein the outsole,the upper portion, the removable midsole and the welt are capable ofbeing separated by releasing the coupling mechanism.
 15. The separablefootwear article of claim 14, wherein the coupling mechanism isconfigured to be removed from the separable footwear upon receipt of apulling force upon the coupling mechanism sufficient to separate thecoupling mechanism from the separable footwear.
 16. The separablefootwear article of claim 14, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises achain stitch or snaps.
 17. The separable footwear article of claim 14,wherein the first material comprises recyclable rubber or recyclablepolymer.
 18. The separable footwear article of claim 14, wherein thesecond material comprises leather.
 19. The separable footwear article ofclaim 14, wherein the third material comprises recyclable foam.
 20. Theseparable footwear article of claim 14, wherein the welt is adhered tothe outsole using a temporary adhesive.